Maintenance
The Taste of Being Protected
During the peak period for consultations, taking the elevator, which stops frequently, might be slower than taking the stairs. Lu Yinxi ran from the 6th floor of the outpatient department to the basement level, passing through the outpatient hall and reaching the emergency department.
The emergency department was filled with people at a glance, with a cacophony of voices and people jostling against each other. Lu Yinxi stopped to rest, holding her waist and panting.
Bright red, thick blood, mixed with foam, emitting a bloody smell… The scene just now kept flashing through her mind. Lu Yinxi’s stomach was churning. She held her lower abdomen, silently chanting Jian Qing’s name in her heart to distract herself.
The emergency department also had simple divisions. Severe hemorrhages should have been sent to the resuscitation area.
The man in the jacket named Zhigang who had been there earlier also went to the resuscitation area. By finding him, she could roughly locate Jian Qing.
She walked toward the resuscitation area.
“Mom, Dad suddenly started vomiting blood. The doctor said he might need to undergo surgery. You should come to the emergency department of the First Affiliated Hospital to check it out… I don’t know… Many doctors have already gone in…”
“Hey, buddy, my dad might need to undergo an emergency surgery. Can you lend me some money? I’ll pay you back next month. Hmm, yeah, well, nothing much… I’ll contact Brother Zhou again…”
“Second Brother, transfer some money to me. There are many tests to be done today. The doctor said Dad might need some minimally invasive intervention surgery1… What do you mean to just give up on treatment? Even if I have to sell the house back home, I’ll still get the treatment… One more day is one more day. Get to the hospital!”
The man in the jacket was crouched on the ground, with no trace of aggression, his hair disheveled, his eyes red. He made call after call, begging for money, and notifying family members to come over.
The jacket he was wearing was somewhat old, his sneakers were dirty and black, and his phone was an outdated model from years ago… It seemed that his family was not particularly financially well-off.
When Lu Yinxi found him and saw his appearance, much of the resentment and anger she had felt earlier had diminished.
At a life-and-death moment, the negative emotions arising from friction became exceedingly insignificant.
The man in the jacket also saw her. He moved his lips, seemingly wanting to say something but then restrained himself, glancing at her before looking away. He appeared like a defeated rooster, dispirited, and continued to make phone calls to gather the surgery fees.
He had previously claimed to be a big V2 on a video platform with millions of followers. Whether this was true or not was unknown. If it were true, he would likely not be short of money, but perhaps all his funds were used for his father’s treatment.
This person’s temperament could be unpleasant and annoying, yet he still had a rare filial piety.
Lu Yinxi leaned against the wall, turned off her phone recording, and ignored him, just waiting outside the resuscitation room for Jian Qing to come out.
If the elderly patient needed emergency surgery, it would likely be performed by the thoracic surgery or interventional department. Jian Qing would come out after finishing the resuscitation and handing over the patient’s condition.
Having delayed for so long, she would still need to work overtime at noon and didn’t know if she could return home to rest.
Ten minutes later, Jian Qing emerged from the resuscitation room wearing a white coat stained with blood. Upon seeing Lu Yinxi, her gaze momentarily paused.
The doctor’s white coat is not always spotless and clean, and it is not as pristine and polished as portrayed on television. The hospital is quite frugal, issuing only a few sets each season. Every week, an aunt collects them to be washed and disinfected. After several washes, the coat begins to turn slightly yellow and wrinkled. For internal medicine doctors who do not go to the operating room, some less meticulous doctors might not send the coat for cleaning as long as it is not stained with blood. Over years, such a white coat can end up looking like the one worn by a vendor of cooked food.
Jian Qing, who values cleanliness, did not receive many coats from the department. Instead, she found a manufacturer and had several identical sets custom-made. Every two days, she would take them home herself to wash, dry, and iron. When she wore them, they were clean and tidy, without a single wrinkle.
Lu Yinxi smiled faintly upon seeing her.
Jian Qing did not have time to respond and went to speak with the man in the jacket. Another doctor came out and led him inside to discuss and sign the surgical consent form.
The First Affiliated Hospital is stingy, and the emergency department might be unwilling to lend their white coats to doctors from other departments. Jian Qing still needed to return to the Oncology Department Ward Two to change clothes.
Covered in blood, she could not use the crowded elevators and had to navigate through a series of twists and turns until she reached a more secluded cargo elevator.
Lu Yinxi followed her like a little tail.
The cargo elevator was quite worn out and lacked dedicated elevator personnel, making it rarely visited.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
The two entered the elevator. Jian Qing pulled out a pen from her pocket and pressed the button for the floor number with its tip.
Lu Yinxi stood next to her, turned her head, and gazed at her profile.
She had no expression on her face, and her gaze was indifferent, showing neither joy nor anger.
Lu Yinxi turned her head back, watching the numbers on the elevator display flicker. She softly explained, “I’m not fierce; it’s all just an act.”
She couldn’t ruin her image in Jian Qing’s eyes.
Jian Qing held up her left hand, gently rubbing the 5 cm long scar with her fingertip. She did not speak but moved her ears slightly, a faint smile appearing in her eyes.
She asked Lu Yinxi, “Would you like some milk tea?”
Lu Yinxi responded with a surprised “Ah?” “Why suddenly offer me milk tea? Are you thanking me?”
Jian Qing explained, “In cases of doctor-patient disputes, if the doctor doesn’t retort, the medical department awards 20 yuan; if the doctor doesn’t retaliate physically, the reward is 200 yuan. 20 yuan is only enough to buy you a cup of milk tea.”
Being scolded with harsh words is only worth the price of a cup of milk tea.
Lu Yinxi let out a wry smile, both helpless and heartbroken.
She lightly touched Jian Qing’s hand and said, “Alright, then give me some in the afternoon as well, as an afternoon tea.”
Jian Qing made a noncommittal sound and did not say anything further.
Being scolded and receiving only a cup of milk tea in compensation was a small price to pay, but it was the first time she experienced the feeling of being protected.
After changing clothes and returning to the outpatient consultation room, Jian Qing received a few impatient complaints and continued with her consultations.
Lu Yinxi chose not to go back inside and sat outside with paper and pen, sketching the various patients—both old and young, male and female—and even drew a sketch of Jian Qing in her white coat consulting patients. She uploaded the drawings to her Weibo.
Throughout the morning, Jian Qing did not go outside and didn’t even have time to visit the restroom. By the time she finished seeing all the patients, it was already 1 PM.
Lu Yinxi ordered takeout to be delivered to the ward office, and the three of them returned to the ward to eat.
Wei Mingming ate while complaining about the peculiar family member from the morning with Zhang Yue.
Jian Qing silently scrolled through her phone, saying nothing.
Wei Mingming, sitting to Jian Qing’s left, noticed something amiss and leaned over to ask, “I think I saw Weibo on your phone. Don’t you usually avoid using your phone during meals? Is something big going on?”
Jian Qing unceremoniously pushed her hand away.
Just as Jian Qing pushed Wei Mingming away, Lu Yinxi on her right leaned over again: “I think I also saw a familiar interface. Hey—”
Before she could see clearly, the phone screen went dark and was tucked away into Jian Qing’s pocket.
Lu Yinxi asked with a hint of jealousy, “Which little celebrity’s profile are you secretly checking behind my back?”
Jian Qing glanced at her but didn’t respond, focusing on her meal.
Lu Yinxi huffed softly, choosing not to bother her further, and ate a few extra bites of the sour and spicy shredded potatoes.
Without going home for lunch, she rested briefly in the hospital’s on-duty room. In the afternoon, she woke up and walked into the office, where Director Yan was sitting next to Dr. Gong, solemnly doing some motivational work with him.
“They call you ‘teacher.’ If you don’t teach your students properly, when you’re old, it will be your students who will treat you… Just think about me. When you were still in this school, I was just a small staff member in the medical education department, grading your papers and recording scores. You called me Teacher Yan. Now that I’m old and you’ve grown up, it’s your turn to treat me.”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Dr. Gong nodded repeatedly, though it was unclear how much he absorbed.
Staff members from the on-duty room gradually woke up, entered the office, greeted Director Yan, and inquired about his health.
Taking advantage of the time before work started and before patients arrived, Jian Qing opened her computer to review medical records.
Medical records written by interns and residents are not filed directly but are first submitted to Zhang Yue. After Zhang Yue reviews them, Jian Qing must add her electronic signature, then log in to Hu Jianjun’s account, as the chief physician’s signature is required for the rounds.
Their team leader is Hu Jianjun, who is often so busy that he is rarely seen. Even getting a signature requires advance notice and a phone call to schedule a time. Jian Qing used to be an attending physician, managing the interns and residents, including those under her supervision.
As she reviewed the medical records, Jian Qing switched to a cold and sarcastic tone:
“Patient in bed 12 transferred from ICU, still able to walk into the room. Impressive.”
“The template was not updated,” Zhang Yue quickly typed away to make corrections, laughing awkwardly.
Jian Qing remarked, “The tumor was completely palpated. Who palpated it completely? Zhang Yue, did you?”
Wei Mingming, enjoying the commotion, laughed and said, “Oh, which computer’s input method is this? It’s so unprofessional.”
Zhang Yue, embarrassed, replied, “It’s ‘membrane,’ ‘membrane,’ I must have misread.”
Jian Qing continued, “Dispersed in the right lung, ‘little sister,’ but the ‘little sister’ doesn’t worry, so we put it on the lung?”
Zhang Yue said, “It’s a small nodule, a small nodule! I’ll correct it immediately.”
Wei Mingming cheerfully said, “What on earth is your keyboard searching for all day? First it’s about palpation, then it’s ‘little sister’.”
Zhang Yue pointed at Wei Mingming and said, “Don’t slander me. This is an intranet computer; even if I wanted to search for something online, I couldn’t!”
Lu Yinxi watched them bicker with a smile, thinking that with these two around, Jian Qing probably wouldn’t feel too lonely.
In the evening, Jian Qing was in her study preparing a presentation, while Lu Yinxi sat nearby reading a book, like a quiet and obedient little cat, keeping her company.
After a while, Lu Yinxi leaned over to look at Jian Qing’s presentation content and casually said, “Is this your elective course on 《Appreciation of Ancient Poetry》? ‘Ask what the world’s affection is, it makes life and death vow to each other,’ the poem by Yuan Haowen. The first time I saw it was in a wuxia novel.”
“What book?”
“《The Return of the Condor Heroes》. Have you read it?”
“I’ve heard of it but haven’t read it.”
Lu Yinxi laughed and asked, “Didn’t you read any TV dramas or wuxia novels as a child?”
Jian Qing didn’t answer.
Her childhood was spent in constant anxiety.
Lu Yinxi continued, “I’ll dig it out for you to see another day.”
Jian Qing replied honestly, “I don’t enjoy reading.”
“Alright, but Teacher Jian, you could add some content that students would find more engaging. A poem like this might not appeal to them as much.”
Jian Qing raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “In my classes, they pay great attention.”
Lu Yinxi smiled softly, thinking to herself that they are not paying attention to the course but to you.
The two were very close, and Jian Qing humbly asked, “Classmate Lu, what do you suggest?”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Lu Yinxi suggested, “Add a short video with this poem, I can find one for you. Also, include some medical-related content, like the classic online saying ‘Ask what the world’s affection is, it’s just three kinds of hormones: phenylethylamine, dopamine, and endorphins,’ as an introduction.”
Jian Qing smiled faintly and asked her, “Do you want to be a teacher in the future?”
Lu Yinxi responded, “I’ve actually thought about it. When I get old and there are no more acting roles, I’d go into teaching, but I might not be able to, since I don’t have enough qualifications.”
In reality, she dropped out of college in her sophomore year to pursue a career in entertainment.
Jian Qing said, “If you want to continue studying, feel free to do so.”
Lu Yinxi smiled and asked, “What if I want to pursue a doctoral degree?”
Jian Qing replied, “Do what you want to do.”
She would support her unconditionally.
“If there’s a chance…” People often like to imagine the future. Lu Yinxi, stirred by this encouragement, thought that if she could return to her world, she would want to continue her studies, not in medicine, but in performing arts. She couldn’t act forever, nor did she want to stay in the entertainment industry for a lifetime. Becoming a teacher in a school in the future also seemed like a good option.
“But let’s talk about the future when it comes.” It was uncertain whether she could return to reality, and what the future held was unpredictable. She didn’t delve further into the topic and casually said, “It’s getting late, time to rest. Goodnight, Teacher Jian. Tomorrow night, I’ll find a video for you to help with the presentation. How should I be thanked?”
Jian Qing shut down the computer, took Lu Yinxi’s wrist, and led her to her bedroom. “How about accompanying me to bed?”
Footnotes
- Minimally invasive intervention surgery: A type of surgery that involves smaller incisions and often has a shorter recovery time.
- “Big V”: In Chinese internet culture, a “Big V” (大V) refers to someone with a large following on social media or video platforms, indicating significant influence and popularity.